How the Wellness Coaching Revolution is Changing Healthcare

Chronic diseases that could be prevented by food and lifestyle changes cause seven out of ten deaths in America. We need prevention, and that’s where wellness coaching comes in. 

Do you ever wonder why you get treated so much better at Starbucks than at the doctor’s office? You walk up to the counter, someone greets you warmly and asks you what you want out of hundreds of options, and answers any questions you might have.

When you see the doctor, they’re usually rushed and grumpy because the healthcare structure forces them to see so many people each day. They often barely look up from their clipboards, ask a few routine questions, and send you on your way. 

The average doctor’s appointment is eight minutes long, while the time spent waiting for the doctor is often near an hour. Eight minutes allows enough time to get a very quick idea of what’s going on with a patient, and recommend a pill or potion to mask the symptoms. Why is it that we spend more time in the waiting room than in the doctor’s office?

Integrative Nutrition Health Coaches are revolutionizing the healthcare system through the power of nutrition, primary food, active listening, high-mileage questions, and goal setting and other techniques unique to wellness coaching.

The way to change the chronic disease epidemic is by spreading the word about Integrative Nutrition Health Coaches and playing your own role in the healthcare scape by advocating for wellness coaching and getting as many people as possible out there coaching. 

Here are five ways the wellness coaching revolution is changing healthcare: 

1. Time. Eight minutes is about enough time to put a bandage on a set of symptoms, but not nearly enough time to heal the root cause of health issues that are leading to millions of deaths every day. On average, Health Coaches spend 50 minutes with each client twice a month, having in-depth conversations on primary food and secondary food, and working side by side with clients to create unique food and lifestyle plans for them by learning what works for their body through deep questioning.
2. Questions. Speaking of deep questioning, high-mileage questions – ones that need more than a yes or no answer, are at the core of every successful Health Coach’s practice. Many people never get time to sit down and actually talk about what’s going on for them, and that in itself releases a lot of tension and stress (two major causes of chronic disease), reducing overall strain on the body and helping clients feel better just from the act of speaking to someone who’s actually listening. Through aligned, thoughtful questioning, coaches get a 360 perspective of what’s going on for clients and then recommend food and lifestyle techniques to help clients get to where they want to be in terms of health and wellness.
3. Bio-individuality. Many modern day healthcare professionals believe that one diet will heal everyone. At Integrative Nutrition, we teach the core concept of bio-individuality – the idea that no one diet or lifestyle works for everyone. Health Coaches work one to one with clients to get to the root of health issues and guide clients in healing themselves by themselves. By giving the client power, wellness coaching flips the healthcare system on its head. Where doctors usually hold all the power, often prescribing pills and potions with little explanation, Health Coaches partner with clients to find out what they really need to feel better.
4. Prevention. Many healthcare professionals are only concerned with masking patient symptoms and keeping them alive. But since when is it ok to just feel “fine” all the time? The goal should always be to feel fantastic, and if you don’t feel fantastic, the goal should be to uncover the root issue and heal it. Wellness coaches are leading the prevention revolution.
5. Sustainability. Any diet is likely to work for a limited period of time, and then stop working. That’s why Health Coaches don’t recommend diets. In wellness coaching relationships, coaches work with clients to discover what foods truly fuel their bodies and how they can make those foods taste great. No one can sustain a restrictive diet for any long period of time, so finding your power foods is the key to feeling great your whole life. When you know which foods make you feel awesome and why, you’ll have no reason to reach for junk. 

Coaching is also much more financially sustainable. If you invest in your health by working with an Integrative Nutrition Health Coach and buying high quality food, you will avoid high cost medical bills down the road. Would you rather spring for organic vegetables now or keep eating artificial, chemicalized, junk food and pay costly healthcare bills later on? 

The problem with the current healthcare system is clear: Instead of treating the root cause of chronic health conditions with healthy food and lifestyle plans, we’re falling back on pills, potions, and operations to mask the symptoms of what’s really going on. What we need is widespread wellness coaching to make prevention part of everyone’s life. 

What if the world knew about this too? Wouldn't it be a better place?

Use the tools on the left to spread the word!